Meridian, MS – May 2, 2012 – The Downtown Optimist Club announces that registration for the 2012 Season of Crestwood T-Ball will begin soon! Crestwood T-Ball games will be played at Crestwood fields beginning Monday, July 9, 2012. Trophies will be given to all players at the end of the season.

Registration will take place at Crestwood Baseball Field. Children ages 4 to 6 are encouraged to participate. Cost is $60 per child ($50 for each additional child in the same family) and includes a jersey and baseball cap for each child. Parents are encouraged to attend the games and we are asking all parents to consider participating in the coaching of the teams. Parents will be given an opportunity to volunteer during the registration process. We have a maximum of 150 player slots available so be sure to register early!

NOTE: A participating child must turn 4 before August 1st and cannot be 7 before August 1st.

A registration form is available from the DTOC website at www.dtoc.org.

Crestwood T-Ball Registration will be held at six separate times:

• Tuesday, May 22 – 5:30pm to 7:00pm
• Thursday, May 24 – 5:30pm to 7:00pm
• Tuesday, May 29 – 5:30pm to 7:00pm
• Thursday, May 31 – 5:30pm to 7:00pm
• Tuesday, June 5 – 5:30pm to 7:00pm
• Thursday, June 7 – 5:30pm to 7:00pm

Parents may also drop off their checks and registration forms during normal business hours at the locations below.

• Meridian Parks & Recreation (601) 485-1802
• Ed Chaney Tire Center (601) 693-8473
• Quality PC of Meridian (601) 485-4404
• AAA Trophy Company (601) 693-4486

If your child is between the ages of 4 and 6, take this opportunity to sign up for Crestwood T-Ball. We are always in need of coaches and assistant coaches so if you’d like to help in any way please mark your interest on your child’s registration form. Learning the game of baseball is just as much fun as playing it! And coaching your child is a very rewarding experience.

The Downtown Optimist Club has been supporting youth programs such as Junior Golf and Youth Baseball programs in the Meridian area for over 65 years.

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• Brad Crawford – 5 years
• Brenda Gough – 10 years
• Butch Wright – 25 years

Bobby Parker Accepts Donation From Dan Derrington

On March 13th, Bobby Parker & Mark Naylor were the guests of the Downtown Optimist Club and a donation of $2,500 was presented to Mr. Parker to help with the installation of new tees designed specifically for kids who want to play golf at Lakeview Golf Course in Meridian, MS.

The donation should cover the cost of the special tee markers and leave some funds available for the purchase of multiple sets of kids clubs that will be made available for children who do not own their own clubs. The idea is to encourage kids to play golf with their parents more often and to make the public course more kid friendly!

It was a great day and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves whether they were eating or cooking! We’ll have more information about the results of the event coming out very soon, but in the meantime, enjoy these great pictures!

Photo by Rives Photography

Camp Eagle Ridge was established in 2010 by Dan Fritts in Collinsville, MS, as a nonprofit summer day camp for abled and special-needs children. This organization strives to develop in children the character qualities of determination, persistence, discipline, confidence, courage, and responsibility. The staff of Camp Eagle Ridge use a variety of therapeutic activities such as horseback riding, wall climbing, arts and crafts, and public speaking/presentations to build those qualities in the belief that they can assist children in building self-confidence to motivate themselves to succeed in school and pursue a higher education.

DTOC Membership became aware of the plans for Camp Eagle Ridge before it actually existed when Dan Fritts visited the club as a speaker and told of his dream of building Camp Eagle Ridge. After his first visit, the DTOC made a small donation of seed money to support Dan’s efforts. Over the next year, Camp Eagle Ridge began to take physical shape and soon after Dan found some suitable land in the Collinsville, MS area, the first children began showing up for summer camp.

To reach his dream, a lot still has to happen. Money has to be raised, buildings and activity areas have to be constructed. However, one of the foundational needs the Camp has is the need for easy access to water. While drinking water for humans will continue to be provided in bottles, there are a lot of areas in the camp where water is desperately needed. Pools cannot be built until water is available. Gardens can’t be grown without water. Horses and animals need drinking water. Cooling stations that spray water cannot be built. Bathrooms and cooking facilities cannot be built. In fact, many of the construction activities that will be coming in the future will need water to be completed.

Dan Fritts made the DTOC aware of this need almost a year ago and at the February 7th, 2012 meeting, after a lot of research and hard work by DTOC Member Dan Derrington, The Downtown Optimist Club presented a check to Dan Fritts and Camp Eagle Ridge for $5,000 to underwrite the installation of a water well. In recognition of his efforts, Dan Derrington was asked to make the formal presentation of the check. Dan Fritts graciously accepted the donation on behalf of the camp and made very clear the foundational role this water well will play in the future development of Camp Eagle Ridge.

It is worth mentioning that without community support of the Downtown Optimist Club’s Pancake Jubilee over the past 65 years, we could never make donations of this size to any organization. Thank you Meridian and Lauderdale County for supporting the DTOC efforts to support our youth!

The DTOC was honored to be able to support Camp Eagle Ridge and Dan Fritts’ efforts to help children. It will be exciting to see Dan’s dream become reality!

Click to learn more about Camp Eagle Ridge.

Photo by Rives Photography

DTOC Member and Meridian Star Editor Fredie Carmichael received a his 5 year membership award at the Tuesday, February 7, 2012 meeting of the Downtown Optimist Club. Fredie has served in several capacities over the years including one year as President of the DTOC. He has flipped a lot of pancakes over the years to help the club raise funds to donate to youth activities and has promoted the organization in his role as our liaison with the Meridian Star newspaper.

Current DTOC President Eddy Chaney presented the former President with his membership award.

Mark McDonald & The USS Mississippi

On Tuesday, January 24th our speaker was Mark McDonald. Mark is the Commissioning Committee Chairman for the USS Mississippi, a Virginia-class submarine that will be put into service later this year.

From Wikipedia:

PCU Mississippi (SSN-782) is a Virginia-class submarine of the United States Navy, named for the state of Mississippi. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 14 August 2003. PCU-Mississippi’s keel was laid down on 9 June 2010. PCU-Mississippi was christened on December 3rd, 2011 at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut. Allison Stiller, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy, is the ship’s sponsor. The submarine is expected to be commissioned at a ceremony next June in Gulfport, Mississippi.

The Meridian District VIM Ramp Project Ministry was started in May of 1999 in response to a local pastor’s request to build a ramp for a disabled man who lived near the church he was serving. Volunteers built a second ramp in 1999 and then built five more in 2000. In 2001, a total of thirty-one ramps were built in the five county area including Clarke, Kemper, Lauderdale, Neshoba, and Newton counties. In 2010, a total of 93 ramp projects were completed for the elderly and handicapped. Since the program started over 650 ramp, step and handrail produces have been completed.

The ramps installed are temporary in that they are easily disassembled when no longer needed for reuse at another location. Recycling of ramps help reduce the cost of ramps significantly.

While the Ramp Project Ministry is sponsored by the Meridian District UMC under United Methodist Volunteers In Mission (UMVIM), many of the volunteers (both lay and clergy) give of their time, talents and financial support to pre-build and install these ramps come from other denominations including Baptist, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Nazarene, Chruch of Christ, Church of God, non-denominational congregations and non-profit service agencies.

ALL LABOR IS VOLUNTEER! No one gets paid. 100% of your donation is used to purchase materials to finish projects. Volunteers and donations are always welcome. There is never a charge to an individual for a ramp, but donations are welcome from everyone.

If you are interested in volunteering or want to send a tax deductible donation mail to:

Dusty Culpepper works at Anderson Regional Medical Center and coaches youth in various sporting events.

Righteous Oaks Recovery Center

http://www.righteousoaksrecoverycenter.com

From Righteous Oaks’ Website:

Righteous Oaks Recovery Center is a interdenominational, interracial, six-month “in resident” biblically-based worship and work program of biblical teaching. We offer a soundly structured daily schedule whose rules, policy and procedures teach the men responsible behavior and good work habits. During the work times, the Ministry Staff encourages the men to remain in fellowship with each other as they work together daily, building social skills that demonstrate the love and behavior of Christ one to the other. We consider Righteous Oaks to be not only a individual healing Ministry, but a family healing Ministry as well. Family members are encouraged to participate as much as possible in church services and other Ministry activities. The resident’s family members are very important to us.

Righteous Oaks works closely with Mississippi Department of Corrections, Law Enforcement Agencies and the Judicial System to give men an alternative to incarceration when they run afoul of the law in their addictive behaviors. God has blessed us with a remarkable record of healing success in our program.

Righteous Oaks Recovery Center is a privately owned and privately operated non-profit Ministry. We are funded through tuition paid by our residents, private individuals, local businesses, churches and civic clubs.